The Big 3-1

Well I am 31 years old. Don't feel too old yet though so that's good! My crazy kids keep me energized throughout the day and exhausted at night! Not much to update except that Archie is soooo close to crawling. I am not ready for it. I want to keep him a snuggly little baby for a tad bit longer!

My mom bought me a cake for my birthday and I have been eating it every day since. Yikes.

Watching cartoons in the morning

Carter steals my camera now and takes all sorts of random pictures--usually of the floor
but I kept this one because it was just so sweet. 

Snuggling with Daddy

Happy Mother's Day

I love being a mommy. My boys are so wonderful. Lately I have been feeling like I may want another baby (Dave thinks I am INSANE). But yesterday I finally figured it out. I don't want another baby... I just want Grayson back. I feel like my family is complete. I have three beautiful sons... I just wish Grayson was a daily part of the mix.  I realize how lucky we are to have Archie in our family and he is growing up so fast that he is nearly bigger than Carter already. The two of them have so much fun together and I can't wait to see them chasing each other around. Archie will be 6 months old this week and Carter will be 2.5 years old! (I plan on potty training Carter next month... stay tuned for all the gruesome details.)

I received a diamond owl necklace from my sweet husband, and a second owl necklace that has three owls together from my boys, and some new earrings from my mother-in-law. I love them all! Happy Mother's Day to me!

Here are some pictures from life lately:

Archer fell asleep in his daddy's lap while watching a movie

Railroad Days at Fullerton Train Station

See Mickey? Carter jumped the barricade and happily kidnapped him!

Visiting Grayson

Life Lately

I love these boys. They adore each other. Archie is nearly as big as Carter! My mom bought them matching Elmo pajamas and I couldn't resist taking a million pictures. (Even though they are 2 years apart, Archer is in 12 month pjs and Carter is still in 18-24 month pjs!)

Archer is 5 months old now. He sits up by himself and rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy. I wanted to wait the full 6 months before I started him on solids but he is just so eager to eat! This is his face after his first bite of cereal:

Carter's new BFF is Willow, my mom's puppy. She is adorable and the two of them are inseparable.

Weekend Away

We took a mini vacation. . . to Palmdale! We got to attend my step-brother's wedding. It was such fun and it's always great to see two people in love and eager to start their lives together! They look perfect together.

It was a bit interesting attending a wedding with a 2 year old and 4 month old... I had to quickly escape twice during the ceremony as Archer was very chatty, fussy, and terrified by applause! I was unsure how we would sleep that night (all four of us in the same room). Carter was so exhausted that he didn't make a peep but I had to listen to a snoring husband and deal with a hungry baby all night. It was great to see my dad--wish we could see him more!

Spring Is Here!

What have we been up to lately? Seems like each crazy day just blurs into the next. Carter has graduated into a booster seat and now sits at the kitchen table with us. Not sure if it is the new booster chair or what but he has definitely started eating more. (Still picky but at least he is eating!) He is obsessed with my camera and loves taking pictures. The only problem is when I get my camera back there are a million pictures of the ground, his feet, the couch, etc. Carter also started an art class this week. Today he got to use finger paints, sculpt with playdough, glue paper, sticks, and blocks onto paper, and color a picture with markers by spinning paper on a wheel. He was in heaven and I had to literally pry him out of his chair when it was time to go!

Archer is now 4 months old and is as tall (and weighs more) than Carter at 9 months old! He weighs 15 lbs 10 oz. We lovingly call him "Beast." He still has his dual personality--he is either smiley and happy or very angry. Luckily the very angry side only comes out once in awhile so overall we have a very easy baby!

I started taking a yoga class one night a week. Not sure Dave likes having both kids by himself but I am thrilled to have an hour to myself!

Lovin' Life

On our way to Disneyland!

Life around here has been a bit crazy. I feel like I never get a moment to rest or even to just stop going going going! These boys are a full-time job but adding my other job on top of it all (not to mention cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping...) whew! I am exhausted and sometimes feel like I am losing my mind... but I am happy.

Archer is now 3 months old! And he is HUGE. Seriously. He is as big as Carter was at 9 months. He is already outgrowing 6 month clothes. Archer has developed quite the personality. When he is happy, he is such a joy to be around. He coos and laughs and kicks his legs and his smile makes me want to cry it is so darn cute. But when he is mad... it's like he is a different baby! Carter never cried like Archer does. I take it back--Archer doesn't cry--he literally screams his head off. I need to record it. He balls his hands into tight little fists, sticks out his bottom lip, turns bright red, and screams. It breaks my heart because I try to soothe him but I think he just likes to scream to get out his frustration because after 10 minutes or so (sometimes longer!), he snuggles up in my arms, sighs, and falls asleep. It's very strange and a bit stressful so I am hoping it is just a phase.

As for Carter, I think he has realized that Archer is here to stay. I think he feels neglected at times since he used to get 100% of our attention. He is talking so much lately! He loves to repeat things that he hears (which can be a bit embarrassing at times!) He makes me extremely aware of the phrases that Dave and I use a lot because he now runs around the house saying things like, "So cool," "Stop it!", "Awww so sweet," but the most annoying one is he now screams, "Chrissssssy!" whenever he wants me.

Dish soap, a straw to make bubbles, and a pan can provide hours of entertainment.

Mickey Mouse needed a bath.